« Apocryphal Traditions in Medieval Liturgy. A New Research Project Illustrated with the Case of the Apostle Andrew »

Abstract

From as early as the fifth century, documents are transmitted in which ecclesiastical authorities (Pope Innocent I, Pope Leo I) strongly condemn the use of apocryphal literature in any ecclesiastical and/or liturgical context. Nevertheless, the use of apocryphal traditions on the apostle Andrew is found in sources of the liturgy of pre- Carolingian Gaul where the connections between liturgical prayer and hagiographical texts in general are close. This paradoxical situation raises questions regarding the relation between liturgy and apocrypha in the Latin church of the Middle Ages. In this contribution, a presentation is given of the influence of the apocryphal Acts of Andrew on early medieval liturgical texts in commemoration of this saint. This case study is followed by the presentation of a new research project on the influence of the apocrypha in medieval Latin liturgy until the later XIIIth century. Although the liturgy is widely assumed to have played an important role in the transmission of apocryphal traditions, this has never been explored systematically. In the proposed project, liturgical prayers, hymns and sermons will be examined. The project aims at clarifying the relation between apocrypha and liturgy, but also between ecclesiastical authorities, defining and defending its canon of authorised biblical books and ecclesiastical practice which did not hesitate to incorporate apocryphal material into liturgical texts.